You need not listen long to the music of Steven Ellison — a DJ, rapper and producer who goes professionally by Flying Lotus — to recognize he is a wildly creative individual. His works in the audio world are tapestries that invite repeated spins and encourage deeper explorations.

Flying Lotus also has dabbled in the visual world, including his feature directorial debut, the poorly received “Kuso,” in 2017.

While we can’t speak to that film, his latest effort, the science fiction-meets-horror offering “Ash,” is both an illustration of his creativity and an example of a director still working out the kinks.

In theaters this week, “Ash” sees Eiza González portraying Riya, who wakes up in a station on a strange planet with memory neither of why she’s there nor of how and why the people appearing to be her crewmates seemingly have been gruesomely slaughtered. She is surrounded by lifeless bodies, severed body parts and blood.

Riya — and, by extension, the viewer — is haunted by horrifying images, apparently from a time not before she regained consciousness.

We soon are given a flashback, to Riya interacting with other members of her crew — Clarke (Kate Elliott), Adhi (Iko Uwais), Kevin (Beulah Koale) and Davis (Flying Lotus) — with all seeming well enough as they partake in yet another bean-based meal.

Back in the present, a person in a protective suit enters the station, Riya immediately attacking the man (Aaron Paul), who says his name is Brion and insists he is a part of the crew and that she knows him quite well.

Riya is wary of Brion but has little choice but to trust him; the air of the planet — which the crew had nicknamed “Ash” for obvious reasons — is only semi-breathable, and the station is running out of oxygen. They need to get back to a larger station orbiting the planet, Brion says.

Working from a so-so script by the little-known Jonni Remmler, Flying Lotus is interested largely in exploring issues around memory with this story. Brion, if he is to be taken at his word, is incredibly frustrated by Riya — she may not remember anything, but, he laments, she is the same stubborn person he has come to know. While he is consumed with getting them back to the orbiting station, she is obsessed with solving the mystery of her dead crewmates. Evidence points to one of them having a psychotic break, possibly after coming in contact with an alien parasite, but Riya isn’t sure.

Unfortunately, the director harvests only so much from this seemingly fertile ground, and, essentially, we’re left in familiar sci-fi-horror territory.

Where “Ash” excels is in its disturbing imagery. While perhaps not achieving the high mark of giving us something we’ve not seen before, Flying Lotus nevertheless manages to make these elements impactful.

On the other hand, he relies too much on quick cutting. The technique is effective early on in “Ash,” when he wants us to see only so much, namely Riya’s fleeting grotesque visions. However, it becomes frustrating later — during the action-heavy third act, when all is revealed — when it makes following the narrative a little more difficult than it needs to be.

Still, we want to see more from Flying Lotus at the helm. He certainly understands mood — and “Ash” benefits from his unsettling musical score, as well as from the work of director of photography Richard Bluck and others — and demonstrates an ability to keep the story moving forward even as it traffics increasingly in flashbacks.

Ultimately, the performances of the steady, relatable González (“Baby Driver,” “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare”) and “Breaking Bad” star Paul — who knows how to play frustrated and impassioned and whom we wish had gotten more screen time — help “Ash” earn a reserved recommendation.

Flying Lotus leaves you with a final memorable shot, but we fear this promising film concerned with memory will prove to be forgettable.

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‘ASH’

2.5 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for bloody violence, gore and language)

Running time: 1:35

How to watch: In theaters March 21

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